Poultry brooder burner housing

ABSTRACT

A burner housing for a poultry brooder in which a gas burner is suspended in an open framework beneath a ceramic heat deflector. The novelty lies in constructing the open framework with interlocking tabs and bends so that the entire burner housing may be assembled and disassembled without the use of nuts, bolts, or other cumbersome fasteners and with a minimum of tools.

United States Patent Bowell [54] POULTRY BROODER BURNER HOUSING [72]Inventor: James P. Bowell, West Saint Paul,

Mich.

m1 s i sle lt si sent 2 1 m.

Dakota, Minn.

[22] Filed: Nov. 20, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 91,444

[52] US. Cl .Q ..ll9/32 [51] Int. Cl. ..A0lk 31/18 [58] Field of Search..1 19/32, 92, 92 B; 126/85 A [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS Miller ..l19/32 [451- Sept. 19,1972

2,240,571 5/1941 Olson et a1 ..1 19/32 3,349,752 10/1967 Murphy ..119/32 3,563,206

2/1971 Hermann ..l19/3 2 Primary Examiner-Hugh R. ChambleeAttorney-Robert M. Dunning [5 7] ABSTRACT A burner housing for a poultrybrooder in which a gas burner is suspended in an open framework beneatha ceramic heat deflector. The novelty lies in constructing the openframework with interlocking tabs and bends so that the entire burnerhousing may be assembled and disassembled without the use of nuts,bolts, or other cumbersome fasteners and with a minimum of tools.

10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PA'TENTEDSEP I9 1912 sum 1 or 2 QN QNINVENTOR JAMEs 504 L BY w fig ATTORNEY PAIENTEDsEP 19 m2 SHEEI 2 BF 2INVENTOR JAMES P Ban ELL BY B400! ATTORNEY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn the prior art it has been found preferable to construct poultrybrooder burner housings in such a fashion that they may be assembled anddisassembled for storage or shipment. Constant shifting around of suchapparatus demands that a knockdown capability be incorporated into thebrooder housings. However, to achieve this capability prior art deviceshave had to utilize a large number of parts which are tcdiouslyconnected together by nuts and bolts. The assembly and disassembly aretedious and time consuming and therefore wasteful of energies anduneconomic. Furthermore, since burner housings of this sort oftenoperate in nonfavorable environments the nuts and bolts usually getrusty and difiicult to work with. As a result more time is loststruggling with the assembly and disassembly and searching forreplacement nuts and bolts. The present invention avoids thesedifficulties as discussed below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My invention contemplates a poultry brooderburner housing in which the various parts comprising the supportingassembly are constructed with interlocking tabs, bends, and slots sothat the entire housing may be assembled into a rigid structure withoutthe use of any nuts, bolts or other fasteners. The design is such thatall parts lock together with a minimum of effort and little or no needof tools. The design is advantageous in that disassembly is as quick andeasy as assembly and here again little or no tools are required. It maythus be seen that it is an object of my invention to provide a poultrybrooder burner housing which can be easily assembled and disassembled,by one person, in a minimum of time, using no bolts, nuts or otherfasteners. Further objects and advantages will become apparent uponconsideration of the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partially cut away sideview of the entire assembled poultry brooder burner housing.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of just the inner framework anddeflector shield showing the position of the gas burner therein andhaving one of the upright members removed for clarity.

FIG. 3 is a detailed plan view of the bottom platform supporting the gasburner.

FIG. 4 shows in perspective a detailed view of one of the uprightmembers to better show the interlocking tabs and bends.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a portion of the circum ferential ring inthe framework demonstrating the interlocking connection therein.

FIG. 6 is an overhead view of the canopy covering the top of the burnerhousing demonstrating the position of the upright accepting slotstherein.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another possible platform which can beused at the bottom of the framework for supporting a different type ofburner.

FIG. 8 demonstrates another possible burner which could be used inconjunction with the platform of FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 1 the entire assembled brooder burner housing may beseen with part of the canopy cut away so as to provide a better view ofthe internal gas burner supporting frame. A typical burner 10 issupported on a platform 12 which in turn is carried by three identicalupright members 16. Gas is supplied to burner 10 through a pipe 14in aconventional manner well known to those skilled in the art. Any type ofoil or gas burner or other heating element may be used in the presentinvention and no limitation is intended by the showing of the burner inthe drawing. The burners shown are examplary only and intended only toshow the advantages of the interlocking construction of the supportingframe. Simultaneous reference should be had to FIG. 2 which shows thisframework assembly in section and in greater detail. As can be seen inFIG. 2 the upright members 16 are connected to platform 12 simply byinserting them through a first slot in platform 12 which is radiallyfarther from the center and then back through a second slot in platform12 which is slightly closer to the center. The exact configuration ofthe upright member 16 is shown in detail in FIG. 4.

In FIG. 4 it may be seen that upright member 16 is provided with a firstbent portion 17 and a second bent tab portion 18 which is narrower thanthe first portion 17. Platform 12 is shown in detail in FIG. 3 and theradially spaced slots therein can be seen to correspond to bent portions17 and 18 in width. In FIG. 3 the outer wider slots are designated bythe numeral 40 while the narrower inner slots are designated by thenumeral 42. The two bends 18 and 17 at the bottom of upright member 16are inserted through slot 40 from the bottom of platform 12 and thenarrow bent portion 18 is then inserted through slot 42 from the top ofplatform 12. It can be seen that as member 16 is then brought into anupright perpendicular position with respect to platform 12 that somedeformation of the base is necessary. This is advantageous in thatupright member 16 is therefore mounted under tension and wrapped aroundthe outside circumference of platform 12. Referring again to FIG. 1 itmay be seen that upright members 16 are held in an upright position andprevented from springing outward by an annular ring 20 which surroundsall three of the upright members. A set of small tabs 44 are punched ineach of the upright members 16. Tabs 44 may be bent out manually toaccept ring 20. As can be seen in FIG. 2, once ring 20 is insertedunderneath a tab 44 the top portion of the tab may be bent back intoward member 16 to insure that ring 20 does not come loose. Ring 20 isalso provided with interlocking connectors at its ends as can be seen inFIG.

In FIG. 5 it may be seen that one end of ring 20 is narrowered down intoa tab extension 22. The other end of ring 20 has a punched out section21 under which tab 22 can he slid and bent outward. This locks ring 20into a circular configuration permitting it to be slid down over thethree upright members and into engagement with tabs 44. As is well knownin the art, ring 20 also serves the function of preventing the poultry,which may be small chicks or the like, from walking into the burnersection and injuring themselves.

In order to spread the heat evenly in all directions a ceramic coneshaped heat deflector 24 is employed which is supported about itscircumference by an annular ring 26 which may be seen most clearly inFIGS. 1 and 2. Circumferential or annular ring 26 is supported near thetop of each of the upright members 16. Tuming again to FIG. 4 it may beseen that the top portion of upright member 16 is narrowered downsomewhat to provide a pair of shoulders 31. In addition, the sides ofupright member 16 designated in FIG. 4 by the numeral 33 do not extendabove this point so that shoulder 31 is increased in size. Sides 33 areprovided on upright member 16 so as to afford additional strength andstiffening to the upright member. Three circumferentially spaced slotsin circumferential or annular ring 26 accept the top narrow portion 25of upright member 16 therethrough. Circumferential ring 26 thus rests onshoulders 31. Ceramic heat deflector 24 then of course rests on ring 26and both the deflector and the ring are held securely in place bybending a set of tabs 27 inward as shown in FIG. 2.

The very top of upright members 16 is provided with another smalladditional extension 45 so as to create a pair of shoulders 47.Extension45 is inserted through a set of three slots 49 in canopy 28.Thus, canopy 28 can rest on shoulders 27 at a slight distance above heatdeflector 24. A set of holes 34 are provided in extension 45 to permitthe attachment of three hooks 32 which are in turn connected to a set ofchains 30 and an overall support hook 50 so that the entire brooderburner housing assembly may be supported from above. Reference should behad to FIG. 1.

As can be seen from the drawings and description to this point,absolutely no fasteners, nuts or bolts are necessary in the assembly anddisassembly of my invention. The unique features of the upright members16,

which include shoulders, tabs, and bent portions, permits the wholeframework assembly which supports the burner to be assembled and thecanopy and heat deflector to be inserted thereupon without resorting tofasteners of any sort. This novel concept, of course, need not belimited to the particular and specific arrangements of tabs, shouldersand bends shown in the drawings but may vary widely within the spiritand scope of the invention. For example, reference to FIG. 3 will show asmall keyway slot 52 and a hole 54in platform 12. In FIG. 2 it may beseen that a small foot 56 is formed on the bottom of one leg of burnerand a small extension 58 is formed on the bottom of a different leg ofburner 10. This permits the burner to also be mounted on platform 12without the use of any nuts, bolts or fasteners. Foot 56 is simplyinserted into the hole at the end of keyed slot 52 and slid into thenarrow portion to lock the burner in place. Extension 58 then drops intohole 54 assuring that burner 10 may not retract out of the slot norrotate from its position. How ever, this arrangement is only one of manywhich could be used within the scope of the present invention.

Another possibility is shown in FIG. 8 in which a flame holder 60 isdepicted. This type of flame holder is v well known to those skilled inthe art and comprises another variation which could well be used withthe present invention. Flame holder 60 has three pairs of feet 62 whichpermit flame holder 60 to be mounted by dropping it down into threecorresponding slots and imthree radially spaced slots 72 are substitutedfor the keyway slot 52 and hole 54 shown in FIG. 3.

The above variations in burners are only one of the many possiblevariations that may be used. Similar modifications could be made to theupright and'circumferential members and since all variations cannot bepracticably discussed here the following claims are presented to definethe invention in its proper scope.

I claim:

1. In a poultry brooder burner housing of the typewherein a heatingelement is mounted in an open framework beneath a heat deflector, saidframework comprising a platform suspended from upright members connectedtogether by circumferential means and said deflector being supportedabout its edge by the circumferential means, and wherein a canopy isdisposed above the deflector to further disperse the heat, theimprovement comprising a first set of interlocking tabs and bends on thebottom of said upright members of said open framework designed to engageslots in said platform, a second set of tabs extending from the mid-.dle of said upright members and adapted to bend partially about andsecure said circumferential means, and extended tabs at the top of saidupright members adapted to be insertable in slots in said canopy so thatsaid housing may be completely assembled without any separate fasteners.

2. The brooder housing of claim 1 in which the heating element ismounted on said platform by an interlocking tab on said heating elementinserted into an interlocking opening in said platform.

3. The brooder housing of claim 1 in which each of said upright membershas a pair of bends at its lower end and said platform has a pair ofradially spaced slots positioned to accept each pair of said bends, thefirstbend being inserted through the slot closer the edge of theplatform and the remaining bend through the other slot.

4. The brooder housing of claim 1 in which said circumferential meanscomprises a pair of annular members positioned at spaced intervals alongsaid upright members, the upper annular member supporting said deflectorabout its perimeter and the lower annular member providing structuralsupport to said; upright members.

5. The brooder housing of claim 4 in which said upright members have apair of progressively narrower portions at the top creating two sets ofshoulders, said canopy resting on the upper shoulders and said upperannular member resting on the lower shoulders.

6. The brooder housing of claim 5 in which each of said upright membershas a pair of bends at its lower end and said platform has a pair ofradially spaced slots positioned to accept each pair of said bends, thefirst bend being inserted through the slot closer the edge of theplatform and the remaining bend through the other s ot.

7. The brooder housing of claim 6"1n which the heating element ismounted on said platform by an interlocking tab on said heating elementinserted into an interlocking opening in said platform.

8. The broader housing of claim 6 in which said deflector is lockedtightly against said lower shoulders by a tab in said uprightmembersbent over the edge of g v said deflecting shield.

bers connected together by circumferential means and said deflectorbeing supported about its edge by the circumferential means, and whereina canopy is disposed above the deflector to further disperse the heat,the improvement comprising a set of interlocking tabs and bends on thebottom of said upright members of said open framework designed to engageslots in said platform, additional tabs and shoulders on said uprightmembers to engage the circumferential means and the canopy so that saidhousing may be completely assembled without any separate fasteners.

* l I! l

1. In a poultry brooder burner housing of the type wherein a heatingelement is mounted in an open framework beneath a heat deflector, saidframework comprising a platform suspended from upright members connectedtogether by circumferential means and said deflector being supportedabout its edge by the circumferential means, and wherein a canopy isdisposed above the deflector to further disperse the heat, theimprovement comprising a first set of interlocking tabs and bends on thebottom of said upright members of said open framework designed to engageslots in said platform, a second set of tabs extending from the middleof said upright members and adapted to bend partially about and sEcuresaid circumferential means, and extended tabs at the top of said uprightmembers adapted to be insertable in slots in said canopy so that saidhousing may be completely assembled without any separate fasteners. 2.The brooder housing of claim 1 in which the heating element is mountedon said platform by an interlocking tab on said heating element insertedinto an interlocking opening in said platform.
 3. The brooder housing ofclaim 1 in which each of said upright members has a pair of bends at itslower end and said platform has a pair of radially spaced slotspositioned to accept each pair of said bends, the first bend beinginserted through the slot closer the edge of the platform and theremaining bend through the other slot.
 4. The brooder housing of claim 1in which said circumferential means comprises a pair of annular memberspositioned at spaced intervals along said upright members, the upperannular member supporting said deflector about its perimeter and thelower annular member providing structural support to said uprightmembers.
 5. The brooder housing of claim 4 in which said upright membershave a pair of progressively narrower portions at the top creating twosets of shoulders, said canopy resting on the upper shoulders and saidupper annular member resting on the lower shoulders.
 6. The brooderhousing of claim 5 in which each of said upright members has a pair ofbends at its lower end and said platform has a pair of radially spacedslots positioned to accept each pair of said bends, the first bend beinginserted through the slot closer the edge of the platform and theremaining bend through the other slot.
 7. The brooder housing of claim 6in which the heating element is mounted on said platform by aninterlocking tab on said heating element inserted into an interlockingopening in said platform.
 8. The brooder housing of claim 6 in whichsaid deflector is locked tightly against said lower shoulders by a tabin said upright members bent over the edge of said deflecting shield. 9.The brooder housing of claim 8 in which said lower annular member islocked to said upright members by tabs in said upright members bent oversaid lower annular member.
 10. In a poultry brooder burner housing ofthe type wherein a heating element is mounted in an open frameworkbeneath a heat deflector, said framework comprising a platform suspendedfrom upright members connected together by circumferential means andsaid deflector being supported about its edge by the circumferentialmeans, and wherein a canopy is disposed above the deflector to furtherdisperse the heat, the improvement comprising a set of interlocking tabsand bends on the bottom of said upright members of said open frameworkdesigned to engage slots in said platform, additional tabs and shoulderson said upright members to engage the circumferential means and thecanopy so that said housing may be completely assembled without anyseparate fasteners.